


Honey

by Its_Uncontrollable



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Awkward!Gladio, Chocobro shenanigans, First Date, M/M, Never ask Noct and Prompto for help, Slight OOC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 04:55:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11524989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Its_Uncontrollable/pseuds/Its_Uncontrollable
Summary: Gladiolus Amicitia was the definition of suave and cool... except when it came to his long time crush, Ignis Scientia. One afternoon, he finally works up the courage to ask the advisor out on a date. Determined not to mess up his date, he enlists the help of a certain Prince and his best friend. What could possibly go wrong?





	Honey

**Author's Note:**

> Here is my first offering to the Gladnis fandom! I legitimately came up with this fic idea one Saturday morning when I was laughing over a running joke between my friends and me. Hopefully you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! ^.^

Smooth. Bold. Flirtatious. Enticing. Self-assured.

These were all adjectives used to describe Gladiolus Amicitia. After all, the behemoth of a man was dripping with confidence.  His infectious personality illuminated every room he entered; women and men alike were drawn to him like a magnet, gathering around him without hesitation as he entertained with his velvet words and cool demeanor.

These words, however, did not apply when Gladiolus was in the presence of Ignis Scientia. In fact, one could describe him as the exact opposite. Around Ignis, Gladio found himself to be clumsy, nervous, and awkward, amongst other things. He found himself so enraptured by the man that he was fortunate to form sentences correctly, let alone act as the confident person he knew himself to be. He would hardly describe himself as “shy” when he was around his friend, but the hammering of his heartbeat usually drowned out most rational train of thought.

When did such a powerful attraction even begin? Gladiolus pondered this every night as he attempted in vain to reign in his thoughts. Was it when Ignis finally pinned him in the sparring ring a few months ago, their faces mere inches from one another, when he finally saw the specks of aqua blue in his emerald eyes? Did it begin when Ignis personally delivered him his favorite handmade lunch when he was trapped in trainings and meetings all day and unable to leave the Citadel? Maybe it all started after Ignis returned his favorite shirt, a proud smile adorning his face as he showed off the seamless patch he sewed in to cover its recently acquired tear?  Frankly, how was it possible _not_ to be attracted to such a gorgeous, kind, and selfless man?

 _Gods, I’m getting all flustered again_ , Gladio chastised himself, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks. _Okay, big guy. You got this. Just ask the guy out._ Somehow, he found himself in this moment now, finally, willing himself to ask the object of his affection out on a date. His heart hammered almost audibly in his chest, his palms beginning to sweat as he approached Ignis, who was seated on a bench in the locker room of the training hall this particular afternoon, freshly showered after their training session and checking his e-mails on his cell phone while towel-drying his hair.

Gladio slowly began to approach the young advisor, continuously willing his feet to keep moving. _That’s it. You’re almost there,_ he told himself as he kept his feet moving and his gaze unmoving from the man sitting on the bench. One thing he did not factor, however, was his loose shoelace that he never tied in his rush to catch Ignis before he left. “Shit!” Gladio cried as he stumbled forward, catching himself with his palms as he fell onto his knees.

“Gladio! By the Six, are you all right?!” Ignis rose to his feet and hurried towards the larger man, extending a hand onto Gladio’s shoulder as the larger man rose to his feet. Gladio’s cheeks turned a deep shade of scarlet, startled by the advisor’s touch.

“ I’m fine. I-It’s nothing, really,” Gladio stammered out, his stomach turning from the humiliation. He nodded to Ignis as the younger man removed his hand and began to walk back towards the bench to grab his bag and take his leave.  _All right, jackass, it’s now or never. JUST. DO. IT._

“Well, Gladio, I consider our sparring session quite a success, so if you’ll —“

“BythewayIggy, uhh—“ Gladio hurriedly interrupted his friend, desperate to make his intention known. He ran a hand through his hair and gritted his teeth at the awkward introduction to his next statement. “There’s this new restaurant that just opened up a few weeks ago across town… that Accordan one, uh, have you been there yet?”

Ignis blinked briefly, then turned his lips up into a slight smile, never breaking eye contact with his dear friend. “I believe I know the restaurant of which you speak. And I will admit that no, I haven’t been there, so if you need a recommendation of where to take a girl for a date, I’m afraid I—“

“NO, that’s not why I asked!” Gladio mentally kicked himself for what felt like the hundredth time in mere minutes for interrupting Ignis _again._ “Actually, I was wondering, umm, if, ahh, if you’ll—“ Gladio tugged slightly on his hair as he dropped his gaze in his inability to articulate his true intentions.

“Yes, Gladio, I would love to go there with you,” Ignis stated smoothly with a chuckle.

Gladio’s eyelids opened as wide as they could as his heart suddenly began to once again hammer in his chest, causing his ears to ring, “Wait, you mean it?! Then, umm, what time would you want to go?”

“8:30 tonight wouldn’t be too late, would it?”

“NEVER,” Gladio nearly shouted back. He reigned in his voice as he let out a shaky sigh. “I mean, not at all. Uhh, if that works for you, ah, I’ll pick you up at your place then?”

“Sounds like a date, Mr. Amicitia. I will see you then,” Ignis waved as he passed Gladio on his way out of the training hall, flashing the Shield that _gods-damned perfect_ toothy smile of his, his eyes narrowing sweetly.

Gladio could only sink himself back onto the bench that Ignis was sitting in minutes before and mentally process what had just occurred, resting his elbows on his knees as he stared at the floor. _I just asked Ignis fucking Scientia out on a date, and he said yes. How the hell did that just happen? Oh gods, I need to mentally prepare. I will not forgive myself if I mess this one up!_  That was when Gladio suddenly thought of a way to make the night go without a single slip-up. _Now, to text Noct and Prompto_ …

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, what you’re saying is that you want us to read you these lines that you wrote down while you’re on your date with Ignis? Don’t you guys have enough to talk about already?” Noctis turned his head up from his video game towards Gladio, seated backwards in a chair from the dining room, genuine curiosity now sparking his eyes.

“Look, I might be pretty calm with you guys, but with Iggy, I don’t know, I just…” Gladio scratched at his beard and looked away, clearly embarrassed at his predicament.

Prompto jumped up from his seat with Noctis on the couch and threw an arm around Gladio’s shoulders.  “Don’t worry, big guy, we gotcha. Let’s practice really quick so we make sure this’ll work…”

Gladio placed the Bluetooth earpiece in his left ear after turning it on and his phone in his pocket. He then felt the vibration of his phone in his pocket as Prompto dialed his number. He reached into his pocket and silently slid a finger across the screen.

“Are **ARE** you **YOU** ready **READY** big **BIG** guy **GUY**?” All Gladio could hear was the horrific metallic echo pulsating in his ear from the close proximity of the two phones. He hissed in pain as he yanked his earpiece away.

“Fuck, Prompto! You think you could give a guy some warning?” Gladio glared at the blonde as if he could have helped it.

“Hey, it’s not my fault you’re the one with the crazy plan. Well it looks like it’ll work so we’ll be fine, right?” Prompto crossed his arms with a sigh and turned his head towards Noctis.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, we gotcha. Go. Shoo. Have fun. We’ll call you a little after 9. That’s when your reservation is for, right?” Noctis waved his hand towards his Shield, beckoning him out the door.

“You guys are the best. I owe you both. Thank you,” Gladio grinned sheepishly as he handed Prompto a yellow sheet of lined paper with a series of “first-date questions” scrawled all over it. He breathed a sigh of satisfaction as he made his way out the doorway of the Prince’s apartment. _This date is going to go great,_ he told himself. _Nothing can possibly go wrong!_

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Gladio had arrived at Ignis’ apartment precisely 5 minutes early. He gave his appearance a once-over in his rearview mirror, surprised himself at how well he “cleaned up”. He smoothed out the last small wrinkles in his silver dress shirt before combing through his hair one final time. Gladio’s heart began to thump uncontrollably again, moisture once again starting to collect in his palms. _Stop it, Gladio, you’re going to be fine. You’re prepared. Nothing will go wrong._ Gladio swallowed hard as he willed his heartbeat to slow, then he pressed his finger to Ignis’ doorbell.

The door creaked open to reveal an equally impressive-looking Ignis, causing Gladio’s breath to catch in his throat. Unlike during the day, when he usually wore a bulky looking combination of white, gray, and black, Ignis’ outfit was bright and colorful. He wore a form-fitting teal dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the top two buttons undone to show off his neck and— _gods_ —that gorgeous chain with the small skull adornment. He wore an equally form-fitting pair of deep gray slacks which left little to the imagination, and his hair was gelled upwards, providing no obstruction to his gorgeous and expressive eyes, which smiled earnestly as he watched the larger man who was now frozen in his doorway. Gladio could only hope to stammer out a few trippy words, already dumbfounded by the beautiful man before him.

“Great, you look, uhm, I mean, I like the—ahh—“

“Thank you, Gladio. You look rather dashing, yourself. It’s comforting to know you own more than just tank tops and sweat pants. Oh,” Ignis’ brow furrowed as his eyes were drawn to the blue light shining from Gladio’s left ear. “You have a Bluetooth?”  

“Ah, yeah. I-It’s just in case Iris calls. You know, she’s out with friends tonight. She’s responsible, but you never know, huh…” Gladio grabbed at the hair at the base of his neck. Was this becoming a nervous habit?

“Ahh, that makes sense,” the advisor stated, raising an eyebrow curiously. “Ever the safe and watchful older brother, I see. Now, are we ready to go?” Ignis asked as he practically shoved Gladio backwards and out of his doorway while exiting his home.

 _Good job, Gladio. You’re already screwing this up._ Gladio mentally smacked himself for his moment of stupidity before responding to his date’s question. “Yes, I am. Better hurry, since our reservation is for 9.” When they reached the garage where he had parked, Gladio ran ahead to his vehicle and held the passenger door open for Ignis, who flashed him another of his signature smiles with a word of thanks. Gladio could only have willed away the creeping flush of color on his cheeks so much. He then made his way to the driver’s seat and they began their trip to the restaurant.

The faint smell of garlic and basil permeated the air as they entered the crowded establishment. A gentle golden glow from the small ceiling lamps complemented the deep burgundy walls and the dark polished wooden tables and chairs. Each table was adorned with white linens and wine glasses, and in the far corner of the restaurant by the kitchen, stood a massive brick oven through which breads and pizzas were baked to perfection. In the opposite corner sat a grand piano, played softly by an expert pianist, creating the perfectly easygoing, borderline romantic, atmosphere.

Both men were greeted by their hostess and directed to a small two person table near the window, away from the noise of the kitchens and the piano. _This night is already starting out perfect,_ Gladio happily pondered as he gazed at Ignis under the establishment’s soft lighting. They were approached by their waitress, an older woman wearing all black, with ash blonde hair pulled up in a bun and gentle blue eyes. She placed a basket of bread and dish of dipping oil in between both men, then took their drink order—two glasses of the finest red wine in the entire restaurant.

“Gladio, you really didn’t have to order such expensive wine. This place is expensive enough and now the check is going to be through the roof. I will gladly contribute to the check if you need…” Ignis protested.

“No way. Not happening. I’m takin’ care of it,” Gladio retorted with a shake of his head. He watched Ignis expectantly, who nodded his head and stared downwards towards the table, not saying anything more.

 _Shit, it’s getting awkward now. Where the hell are Noct and Prompto?_  Just as Gladio thought his nerves were going to make him forget about dinner, he felt the telltale vibration of his phone in his pocket. Casually, he slipped his hand under the table and slid his finger across the screen of his phone to answer it.

 _“Hey big guy! We’re here to save the day!”_ Prompto’s cheerful voice chirped through Gladio’s left ear.  In response, Gladio cleared his throat so signal his desperation for help.

“Are you all right, Gladio? I heard it’s becoming a bad allergy season,” Ignis was staring directly into Gladio’s eyes, slight concern now adorning his features. _It’s actually pretty endearing_ , Gladio mused as he smiled warmly back at Ignis.

 “No, no. I’m fine. I promise. So, ummm….” He briefly paused while Prompto fed him the first question to ask his date. “Do you have any hobbies outside of work?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. I play first flute in the Insomnian Philharmonic. If you’re interested, we’re currently rehearsing for a truly unique concert. It is an orchestral version of the soundtracks for the Justice Monsters game series. And don’t worry about getting bored. The concert hall will have actual game footage playing on large projector screens. It’s truly a great experience for the whole family, and lately so many more children have expressed interest in learning an instrument. I’m honored to be part of such a movement,” Ignis happily sighed as he closed his eyes.

Gladio could not help the ear-to-ear smile that adorned his face. He was truly proud to be out on a date with someone with such a passion for the arts.

“But enough about myself. Tell me, Gladiolus,” Ignis leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table, his hair and face taking on multiple hues from the yellow light inside and the bright white light outside. “what do you enjoy doing… other than working out?”

The waitress had returned with their wine, subsequently taking their food orders. When she had walked away, Gladio continued the conversation.

“Believe it or not, I actually love to read. I’m actually, uhh, part of a local book club…” Gladio sheepishly chuckled.

Ignis’ eyes widened at Gladio’s confession. “Oh, really? I had always intended on joining one, but had never been able to attend their meetings. What type of book club is it?”

Gladio held his hands in front of him in mock defense. “Don’t laugh at me, okay? It’s a, uhm… classical romance club.”

 _“Haha! No freakin’ way! You’re such a **girl,** Gladio!” _Noctis cackled in Gladio’s ear.

“Shut up!” Gladio growled through his teeth, albeit a little _too_ loudly.

“Gladio, I didn’t say anything,” Ignis’ whimpered, a slight shake of concern in his voice. His brow furrowed as he lowered his gaze towards the table once again. “I actually think it’s a lovely genre. Maybe I could join you for the next meeting, if you’ll have me, I mean….”

“Shit, Iggy, I did not mean to say that to you. I was thinking out loud, again. Some people are being too loud and it’s hard to hear you, ya know?” Gladio scratched the back of his head, once again nervously tugging at his hair. “But I’d love to have you there. Probably help me out a bit. I’m getting better at following, but sometimes people can have really complex analyses of plot lines, huh… Actually, I’m gonna run to the restroom before the food gets here. Be right back.”

Gladio practically leapt out of his chair as he crossed the floor of the restaurant to the men’s room. He turned on the faucet of the sink and splashed cold water on his face. He then turned his attention towards the two guys in his ear as he leaned back against the counter.

“All right, you two. No more commentary. This date is actually going pretty _well,_ and if you guys fuck this up, I’m gonna make your lives a living hell for the next week.”

 _“Oh yeah, what are you gonna do about it?”_ Noct challenged his Shield.

“I’m sure you’d love extended sessions this week. I mean, we’re gonna need extra time to fit in _two hundred burpees_ on top of each of your regular training sessions this week.”

 _“No! No, you don’t have to do that, big guy! Right, Noct? He doesn’t have to do that, right?”_ Gladio could hear the Prince release an audible sigh. _“Yeah, yeah, we’ll be good, all right?”_

“You better be, now back to business.” Gladio exited the men’s room and returned to the table where his date was patiently waiting for him. “Sorry about that, Iggy. Now where were we?”

The conversation returned to its usual lighthearted nature. Every time they found themselves in a mutual silence, Prompto would give him another scripted question to ask to keep the flow of the conversation. The two men smiled and laughed, sipping their wine and devouring their bread until their food finally arrived. Gladio hung on every word that Ignis said to him, watched every change in the other man’s eyes as he described his upbringing, his passions, even his pet peeves. He and Ignis even found themselves sharing bites of their meals with each other, Ignis lifting a fork of shrimp linguine into Gladio’s mouth, and Gladio doing the same to Ignis with his lasagna, and in the process getting sauce all over the other man’s chin.

“Shit, sorry Iggy! Hold on, I gotcha” Gladio chuckled as he leaned forward and lifted his napkin to Ignis’ chin, wiping the sauce from his face. His hand lingered for just a moment as silence overtook the two of them. Gladio could not help his eyes from searching the other’s face, from the spot on his chin that he had just cleaned, to his lips, then finally into his eyes. He could feel his face start to flush and his heart begin to race as his date stared back at him in complete silence. _Damn, I have no idea what to say! Should I not have done that? Is this awkward now? What is he thinking?_ Gladio’s mind raced, internally begging for just one more question to ask. Just when he felt like his brain was about to burst, Prompto came through with the next question.

“Can I rub honey on your thighs?”

“Can you… _what_ , Gladio?!” Ignis pulled his face back out of Gladio’s grasp, a completely confused and slightly offended look now overtaking his features.

 _“You jackass! It says ‘compliment him on his eyes!’”_ Gladio heard Noctis chastise Prompto in his ear.

_“D’aww, sorry about that! Compliment him on his eyes!”_

_“Don’t apologize, Prompt. It’s not our fault Gladio’s handwriting is shit!”_

Gladio could feel his stomach turning from humiliation. _Great job Gladio, you really screwed this one up, big time! He’s never gonna want to go out with me again!_ Gladio brooded, mentally kicking himself for his slip-up. _And those two are DEFINITELY getting extra burpees this week!_

“Gladio…?”

“Uhh… what?” Gladio rested his elbow on the table and discreetly leaned his head into his hand, ending the call between him and the other men. 

“What was that you asked of me?” Ignis leaned his own head in the same direction as Gladio’s, as if trying to make sense of what just transpired.

“You have really gorgeous eyes!” Gladio blurted out, desperate to salvage the evening. “I’m serious, they’re, ahh, really nice. I can’t get enough of ‘em.”

Ignis’ face flushed a light shade of pink as he flashed another one of his perfect smiles. “I’m glad you find them aesthetically pleasing, Gladio,” he said with a chuckle, now gazing at the older man himself. “You have some fairly brilliant eyes yourself.”

Gladio sheepishly lowered his head as he scratched at the base of his skull. “Well, we should probably get going. It’s late, yeah? I’m sure you have an early morning,” he mumbled quickly as he handed the waitress payment for the check. They both made their way out of the restaurant and back into Gladio’s car. The ride back to Ignis’ apartment building was relatively silent, with some bits of conversation here and there. But all too soon, they found they had arrived at their destination. Gladio put his car in park and prepared himself for the awkward goodbye.

“So, I guess I’ll see you around, Iggy--”

“Actually, Gladio, would you like to come inside? I don’t have any early commitments tomorrow, now that I think about it. Honestly, I had a lovely time and would hate to cut the evening short. We can have some tea and continue to chat some more.” Ignis paused for a moment, then continued in a much deeper voice. “Also, I have quite a large container of honey I’m sure you would _love_ to commandeer,” he stated with a chuckle and a wink.

“Oh, gods, I can’t believe you heard that!” Gladio hid his face in his hands, his stomach once again bubbling up with embarrassment.

“It’s not hard to hear, especially when I’m pretty sure you had Noct and Prompto in your ear this entire time,” Ignis stated matter-of-factly.

“Wait a second— _how did you know?_ ” Gladio nearly shouted as he snapped his head back up in his frustration.

“Well for starters, you just told me,” Ignis snorted with a wink. “But seriously, I knew you weren’t being entirely truthful about that Bluetooth being only for Iris’ safety. You tend to pull your hair every time you say something suspect. Do you realize that?”

Gladio’s face deadpanned. He could not believe the things that Ignis was saying. _Well, I fucked this one up good. He’s really gonna hate me now. All I can do now is be truthful, right?_ His voice shook as he lowered his head. “I’m really sorry, Iggy. I didn’t mean to lie to you. I was so nervous about messing this up… so I asked them to help me.” Gladio closed his eyes tightly as he waited to hear Ignis tell him he was the worst person ever, that he was a filthy liar… _that he never wanted to speak to him again._

Instead, he felt the warmth of Ignis’ hand underneath his chin, lifting his face so their eyes would meet. “Well, I believe we need to work on easing these nerves, don’t we?” Before he could even ponder his next sentence, Ignis leaned forward and pressed their lips together. Gladio could feel his breath hitch in his throat, unable to believe that Ignis Scientia, the object of all his affection, was kissing him despite his major screw-up tonight. He returned the kiss, reaching up to cup his love’s face in his hands. His chest filled with the sweetest warmth, knowing that not only was he forgiven, but Ignis clearly returned his feelings. They finally parted, gazing into each other’s eyes for a moment.

“I really meant it when I said I wanted you to come in for tea, though.” Ignis smiled sweetly as he reached up and took one of Gladio’s hands in his.

“Hell yeah! Let’s go!” Gladio practically ripped the door off of his car in his enthusiasm as he followed Ignis into the apartment building, grabbing the advisor’s hand while the elevator climbed to Ignis’ floor.

Ignis turned his gaze up to the Shield, one last playful smile on his lips as he turned the key to his apartment. “So, what would you like in your tea? Extra honey, right?”

Gladio playfully smacked Ignis in the shoulder as he snorted in laughter. “I don’t think you’d mind that one bit!” Both men shared a laugh as they entered Ignis’ apartment, ready to continue their evening, and all that Gladio could do was smile to himself as he watched his love hard at work at the stove.

_Best. Date. Ever._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Hope you liked it! ;) Any and all comments/criticism/kudos are greatly appreciated!


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